(Ben)
We left Mt Isa excited at the prospect of reaching the Northern Territory.
After a fuel stop in very small Camooweal, we were soon across the border, and somehow it just felt bigger and wider and more remote...
We spent the night at a free rest area called Avon Downs - the only one so far which had a police station (and nothing else) opposite it! Fortunately we had no need to call on the services of the police and enjoyed a peaceful first night in the Territory.

Left Mount isa this morning with the very important stop of getting a ticket in the 100 million oz lotto. Also picked up the paper to study the form guide for the big race today. As we hit the road it doesn't take long before we are driving into the outback . The roads are so straight and there really is nothing at all for miles. Marc and I play I spy for a bit of a laugh but it soon becomes too easy. Looks like it will be a trip of music and laughter. We stop at Camooweal for fuel. Just out of Camooweal there's a police station in the...

Today we crossed the Queensland Boarder and Keagan lost his thong at the sign. Mum drove most of the way and gave dad heart palpitations passing two caravans and a road train. We then arrived at Barkly Homestead and had lunch. We booked into the only caravan park int town/ the only thing in the town. Later in the day a Brahman bull wondered through to meet his mate.

Sunday, 14 Aug : Barly Homestead
Happy Birthday MUM! Hope you have a wonderful day...miss ya!
Another early start...yes...I know...but a call from Mat at 7am on a Sunday moring always scares us a little.
But all good...he just wants to go on holidays! Holidays! OMG....there is work to be done son whilst we are on holidays...
does he not realise the ramifications! hahahaha
Up the 12k sandy/dirt road we travelled again...with heart in stomach as we plodded along...every moment thinking we would get stuck...
Elliott looming we knew were had...

24th October
Barkly Homestead
Got to Mt.Isa early and looked aroud for a shower. At the information point we found out about a free family fun park with an outdoor stand alone shower. We played on the space-age playground and then started shooting eachother with water cannons. A ki joined in and absolutely soaked Matt. Then we all huddled round this shower head at the side of the park and washed our hair. I love the fact te Australian government realy provides a lot of free services, and it's hot enough to use them.
We just drove for the...

Today’s question is what do we define as a township? A pub?, A post office, A petrol station? A police station? By any of those measures, from setting off today until we stopped tonight we only passed one of each.
Approx 190kms out of Mt Isa we filled up the car at Camooweal ($1.69 per litre) and had some morning tea. While we were there the biggest tonka toy you will ever see went past us in the opposite direction. Lucky we didn’t find that coming in the other direction while we were on the road or I would have been off playing with the...

WE GOT UP IN THE RAIN AND DECIDEC TO HAVE A BIT OF A LATE START SO WE WENT OUT TO CAMOOWEAL CAVES, A SMALL 4WD TRACK NOT TOO FAR FROM WHERE WE WERE STAYING. THESE CAVES WERE CREATED WHEN A METEOR CRASHED INTO THE EARTH MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO. WE BOTH HADN'T SEEN CAVES LIKE THESE SO THEY WERE PRETTY COOL. IT WAS FREEZING SO WE HEADED BACK AND PACKED UP CAMP, EAGER TO HEAD INTO THE NORTHERN TERRITORY. WE TRAVELLED THROUGH TO THE BARKLEY HOMESTEAD WHERE WE DECDIDED TO MAKE CAMP FOR THE NIGHT. WE MET SOME REALLY NICE PEOPLE, HAD A COUPLE OF...

Sylvia's Comments.
Borroloola is a fully serviced town and remote fishing community on the McArthur River in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a historic town and one of the legends is a man called Nat Buchanan, who was born in Dublin in 1826 of Scottish parents, and arrived in New South Wales in1832. Buchanan is credited with using the Old Gulf Road to bring to the Northern Territory 1,200 head of cattle, passing through Borroloola on his way to Glencoe Station on the Adelaide River. Following this success he then drove over 20,000 head of...